Tigers Get Jump On NCAC Race With Sweep At Hiram

HIRAM, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers have lost just two matches against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponents since the start of the 1998 season. Both have come against Hiram, so Head Coach Paco Labrador is always at least a little relieved when his team takes care of business against the Terriers, as it did Friday in a 3-0 victory.

The win was Wittenberg's 52nd in a row in NCAC regular season play, dating back to a September 2010 sweep by Hiram on the Terriers' home floor. For the 2015 season, the eight-ranked Tigers improved to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the NCAC, heading into an afternoon encounter against Allegheny on Saturday.

Hiram fell to 11-5 overall and 0-1 in the league.

The key to victory was perhaps Wittenberg's most efficient offensive performance of the 2015 campaign so far. The Tigers recorded 42 kills in 93 attempts against just 11 errors, good for a stellar attack percentage of .333. Just as importantly, Wittenberg's offense was diversified as six different Tigers finished with at least five kills in the match.

Leading the charge was junior middle hitter Kendall Farmer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), who pounded nine kills and finished with a .533 attack percentage. She added four blocks.

Senior Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) added eight kills, and sophomore Maddie Fischer (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) contributed seven kills on just 11 swings for a .545 attack percentage. Junior Courtney Huck (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) dished 21 assists, while freshman Karen Wildemann (Columbus, Ind./North) added 16 to quarterback the attack.

Defensively, senior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) led the way with 14 digs.

Written By: Ryan Maurer